Greenwich Park

Greenwich Park was the first of what are now known as the Royal Parks of London to be enclosed. The area, which once belonged to the Abbey of St. Peter at Ghent, was claimed by the crown in 1427 and was given as a gift by King Henry VI to his uncle, Humphrey Duke of Gloucester. It was formally enclosed in 1433. Humphrey built a small house within the grounds, Bella Court, and a small castle, Duke Humphrey’s Tower, on the hill.

For the early years of its life, Greenwich Park was mostly health land and was used primarily for hawking. By the time of Henry VIII, deer were added to the park by the hunting obsessed monarch for sport. To this day, there is still a small herd of deer kept in the east of the park.

Greenwich Park is some 183 acres, making it one of the smaller of the Royal Parks of London. The boundary that is known today was first established by King James I, who enclosed the park with a brick wall. The wall was over two miles long and cost nearly L2,000; an extravagant sum in Stuart times. The area is a rough rectangle in shape, around 1000 meters by 750 meters. It falls over two levels, due to its mass stretching along a hillside.

Many tourists of modern London visit Greenwich Park due to the Royal Observatory of Greenwich being located inside the grounds. The area for the Royal Observatory was first designated to be on the hill of Greenwich Park by Charles II in 1675, using the by-then-ruined remains of the Duke of Gloucester’s castle, Duke Humphrey’s Tower. The Royal Observatory has remained on the same site ever since.

The park is also a fun visit for any family, and has been developed to include a large duck pond, cricket pitch and rose garden. There are also tennis courts, a bandstand, stunning Roman remains and an ancient oak tree known as ‘The Queen’s Oak’, which has a long associated with Queen Elizabeth I.

On the lower level of the park, the amenities of plenty continue. There is a children’s playground, close to Maze Hill Railway Station, and an adjacent boating lake and heard garden. Then there is the Royal Observatory itself.

After such a rich history since it was first enclosed in the 15th century, Greenwich Park will once again play a role in English history making. For the summer 2012 Olympic Games, it will host the equestrian events; the show jumping and cross-country for the three-day-eventing, and the show jumping round of the modern pentathlon.

Greenwich Park is open to the public from 6am all year round and closes at dusk. It is part of the Greenwich World Heritage site, which is also home to the Prime Meridian Line, where the meridian of longitude is defined to be 0°. It is therefore a popular haunt for tourists and is best accessed by Greenwich underground station, as well as being a popular stop for any sightseeing tours that are passing nearby on their way to the prime meridian.